Let's start with a little history:
http://www.answers.com/topic/food-coloring. This website contains some really interesting information on origins of dyes, historical uses, and even a list of what a few naturally occurring dyes are made from. It really is worth the read.
What I'm really interested in right now is what are dyes made from? So that will be my main focus (although, after all of the research I have done it is really hard to ignore all of the potential side effects).
A lot of people stay away from dyes because of allergic reactions. There seem to be many concerned parents on the net who have eliminated these dyes from their child's diet and had great success with eliminating symptoms. If you would like more info on allergic reactions here is a website with some good info: http://www.allergicchild.com/food_dye_allergies.htm
www.wisegeek.com started me on my "what is it made from" search. From them I learned a little about FD & C Yellow No. 5 and Red No. 3.
- "FD & C Yellow No. 5: contains tartrazine. People who have aspirin sensitivity may not tolerate it and it may be especially a bad choice for people who have frequent asthma. Tartrazine is derived from coal tar [can you believe this?! How gross is that?], which has led to concerns for all people who consume it."
- "FD & C Red No. 3: contains erythrosine, another coal tar based compound. There is suspicion that this colorant may be carcinogenic. Rat studies showed development of thyroid tumors when high doses of erythrosine were administered."
- "In general, other FD & C colors have been thought to possibly have adverse effects on some people. Though these are unsubstantiated, claims that artificial food colors can cause depression, anxiety, and attention deficit disorder (ADD) persist. There has been much anecdotal evidence that reducing artificial food coloring in children’s diets may reduce or eliminate ADD. As noted above, to address this issue, certain European countries have made the use of FD & C colors illegal." (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-food-coloring-made-of.htm)
From http://www.allergicchild.com/food_dye_allergies.htm are a few interesting tid bits:
- "Cochineal dye [a red dye] and its close relative, carmine, are now being reconsidered as safe food dyes. These food dyes have received much press given that they are derived from crushed beetle carcasses. They have been around for hundreds of years, yet are causing anaphylaxis in some people."
- "Annatto is a food coloring derived from the seed of the Bixa Orella tree. The coloring is a yellow/orange and it is used extensively in crackers, cookies and bakery goods."
Wikipedia, for all it's worth, has some very valuable information. There have been many dyes banned in the U.S. recently, (though not as many as other countries) however these 7 dyes are still FDA approved and the most commonly used in our foods. I have read through each of their links and written by each dye, in parenthesis, what it is either made from or what known effects it has to our/other mammals health.
"In the USA, the following seven artificial colorings are permitted in food (the most common in bold) as of 2007[update]:
- FD&C Blue No. 1 – Brilliant Blue FCF, E133 (blue shade)
("It is a synthetic dye produced using aromatic hydrocarbons from petroleum. It can be combined with tartrazine (E102) to produce various shades of green. The dye is poorly absorbed from the gastro-intestinal tract and 95% of the ingested dye can be found in the feces. It also reacts with certain bile pigments to form green feces.")
- FD&C Blue No. 2 – Indigotine, E132 (indigo shade)
(Nothing on what it is made from, but: "Indigo carmine is harmful to the respiratory tract if swallowed. It is also an irritant to the skin and eyes. Proper laboratory cautions (lab coat, gloves, goggles) are advised.")
- FD&C Green No. 3 – Fast Green FCF, E143 (turquoise shade)
("...is a sea green triarylmethane (Triphenylmethane can be synthesized by Friedel-Crafts reaction from benzene and chloroformaluminium chloride catalyst) food dye. This substance has been found to have tumorigenic effects in experimental animals, as well as mutagenic effects in both experimental animals and humans. It furthermore risks irritation of eyes, skin, digestive tract, and respiratory tract in its undiluted form.")
- FD&C Red No. 40 – Allura Red AC, E129 (red shade)
("Allura Red AC is one of many High Production Volume Chemicals. Red AC was originally manufactured from coal tar but is now mostly made from petroleum.")
- FD&C Red No. 3 – Erythrosine, E127 (pink shade, commonly used in glacé cherries)
("Allura Red AC is banned in many European countries because it is an azo dye,("The name azo comes from azote, the French name for nitrogen that is derived from the Greek a (not) + zoe (to live"). ... in 1990 the U.S. FDA had instituted a partial ban on erythrosine, citing research that high doses have been found to cause cancer in rats.")
- FD&C Yellow No. 5 – Tartrazine, E102 (yellow shade)
(Nothing on Wikipedia but from www.wisegeek.com: "contains tartrazine. People who have aspirin sensitivity may not tolerate it and it may be especially a bad choice for people who have frequent asthma. Tartrazine is derived from coal tar, which has led to concerns for all people who consume it.")
- FD&C Yellow No. 6 – Sunset Yellow FCF, E110 (orange shade)
(Again, not sure on what it's made from, but: "Sunset Yellow is a sulfonated version of Sudan I, a possible carcinogen, which is frequently present in it as an impurity.")
One last article and website that will tell you what dyes are commonly found in what foods as well as what effects these dyes may have on a person: http://www.purezing.com/living/food_articles/living_articles_fooddyes.htm
Well, that's about all the research I can handle for now. Then again I don't think I really need any more to keep me away from these dyes (do you?)!
References and interesting reads:
- http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-food-coloring-made-of.htm
- http://www.allergicchild.com/food_dye_allergies.htm
- http://www.answers.com/topic/food-coloring
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_coloring#Artificial_coloring_in_United_States
- Multiple other wikipedia links found on this post
- http://www.purezing.com/living/food_articles/living_articles_fooddyes.htm
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